Ruby the Hatchet – Easy Livin’ (Official Video)

A Vintage Hard Rock Anthem, Recast with Modern Heat

Ruby the Hatchet put their stamp on Uriah Heep’s 1972 classic “Easy Livin’,” delivering a tight, organ-laced charge that feels at once reverent and refreshed. Recorded on May 21, 2019 with engineer Joe Boldizar at Retro City Studios in Germantown, Pennsylvania, the track carries the immediacy of a live performance, sharpened by the band’s knack for heavy hooks and hypnotic atmospherics. The official video, directed and edited by Todd McConnell and Ruby vocalist Jillian Taylor, folds studio intensity into onstage electricity, underscoring why this song remains a formidable piece of hard rock history.

Reverence Without Replication

“Easy Livin’” first appeared on Uriah Heep’s 1972 album Demons and Wizards, an album that helped cement the British band’s signature blend of hard-driving riffs, Hammond organ, and stacked vocal harmonies. Ruby the Hatchet approach the song with a listener’s care and a player’s fire. They keep the tight structure and breathless pace, but lean into their own palette: thick guitar overtones, prominent keys that push and pull against the riff, and vocals that trade high drama for focused power. The result honors the source material without treating it like a museum piece, spotlighting the song’s core engine—momentum—rather than simply tracing its surface details.

Inside the Arrangement

The cover opens on a punch of rhythm and keys, with guitar arriving as a slashing counterweight rather than a constant wall. Ruby the Hatchet’s organ presence, a pillar of the band’s psych-rock identity, shapes the harmonic spine and adds a saturated warmth that evokes early 1970s heavy rock while remaining crisp in the modern mix. The drums strike a balance between drive and swing, keeping the groove taut while allowing the fills to breathe. Bass locks tight under the guitars, providing the muscular floor that gives the vocals space to cut through.

Jillian Taylor’s vocal takes a clean, commanding line, resisting overstatement. Instead of chasing the high-strung melodrama that often marks early 70s hard rock, she opts for direct phrasing and measured vibrato. It suits the band’s chemistry, highlighting the interplay between organ stabs and riff changes while letting the chorus land with unforced impact. The solo section is concise, melodic, and to the point, maintaining the song’s momentum rather than detouring into shred for its own sake.

The Video: Studio Sparks, Stage Fire

Shot and edited with a documentary pulse, the video bridges the concentration of the studio session with footage from the road. Live studio material and photography by Dante Torrieri put viewers inside Retro City Studios, with close-ups of hands on keyboards, cymbals lighting up under sticks, and a room sound that feels immediate. Intercut sequences from Roadburn, captured by Volksradio Moos in Tilburg, add widescreen atmosphere, placing the band in a setting known for adventurous heavy music. Additional footage from The Echo in Los Angeles, filmed by Arturo Gallo, amplifies the sense of scale and energy: bright lights, fast cuts, and a crowd leaning into the beat.

The editing, guided by McConnell and Taylor, moves briskly without sacrificing clarity. Quick transitions mirror the song’s sprinting pace, yet the camera lingers long enough on gestures—finger slides, pedal taps, mic grips—to underline the human mechanics behind the sound. The overall effect is less a narrative and more a collage of moments that show how the band translates a classic into their own language, on tape and under lights.

Sound and Space at Retro City Studios

Recorded at Retro City Studios with Joe Boldizar, the track wears a live-off-the-floor sheen, all punch and air. The room sound is present but never muddy, suggesting a setup that privileges ensemble chemistry and sightlines. Guitars arrive with a saturated crunch that avoids harsh edges, while the organ’s overdrive nests neatly in the midrange, leaving vocals with clear headroom. The mix gives the drums defined attack and lively cymbal decay, a choice that supports the song’s forward motion and helps each transition hit with precision.

Context and Continuum

Ruby the Hatchet’s interpretation sits naturally within a broader lineage of heavy psych and proto-metal revivalism that has taken hold across underground scenes over the last decade. The band’s reliance on dynamic keys, titanic riffing, and a melodic vocal center places them squarely in conversation with the roots of the form, without leaning on retro affectation. “Easy Livin’” is a smart selection: short, explosive, and structurally bulletproof. It functions as both a calling card and a bridge, connecting early 70s hard rock’s concision to the more expansive, texture-driven currents of contemporary heavy music.

Formats and Access

The single is available to stream, and cassette editions are available for pre-order via Brutal Panda Records. The format choices underline the recording’s sonic character: it shines in digital clarity, but its saturated midrange and rhythmic punch also feel tailor-made for tape’s warmth.

Credits

Original song: Uriah Heep (1972)
Recording date: May 21, 2019
Recording studio: Retro City Studios, Germantown, Pennsylvania
Recorded by: Joe Boldizar
Video direction and editing: Todd McConnell and Jillian Taylor
Live studio footage and photography: Dante Torrieri (Germantown, PA)
Roadburn live footage: Volksradio Moos (Tilburg, Netherlands)
Live at The Echo footage: Arturo Gallo (Los Angeles, CA)

Compact, kinetic, and rooted in a shared heritage of heavy rock, Ruby the Hatchet’s “Easy Livin’” makes the case for classics as living documents. It is a tribute that listens closely, then answers back with conviction.